As Kora and Perci walk in, they will see the scene unfold. 

"Well, there you are. Hello," He'll squint his eyes and open his mouth slightly, "Ah, yes, there it is; Kora. What a very human name. They seem to have accepted you, but do they know what you truly are? A host for a traitor! How can they trust you when you've betrayed your own kind, as so many of your kind have!"

"For the Dark, for the Dark. Our lives for the Dark."

Aria pauses outside to put Sivi in her bag because Books was coming home from school before coming in. She watches the strange man silently, face unreadable, and keeps an arrow in her hand, ready to nock and shoot in an instant if needed.

Sylrie hated this, he could feel his mind being invaded, information being pulled from it like a funnel. It was uncomfortable, and now this man was using that information, but what did he mean traitor? Sylrie cast his gaze back to Kora, and what were those goblins mumbling about the Dark? 

Questions flew through Sylrie's mind wildly with zero control or protection.

Kora faces the man squarely, shouldering her way to the font of the group. "What have you done, creature, that your masters would send you to the dank bowels of this material plane? Do you offend them? Are you a failure? And these your servants? Some cretin you must be, nursemaid to goblins, banished to oversee some insignificant project, no glory in that."

She is trying to goad him into revealing something useful.

"You dare speak to a Hashalaq as if you have nothing to fear? You know of the Great Work, it's what you have run from, kalashtar. Your family has run from it, and now here you are." The man walks through the table closest to him and looks deeply at Kora, "What have you left? Your numbers are dwindling and slowly decreasing. You have lost the War, traitor. Join us, join us in creating the Great Work!"

"For the Dark, for the Dark. Our lives for the Dark." the murmuring continues. 

Anyone can tell that this man is either ethereal or some kind of projection. Now that he has actually walked through a table you can see a slight shimmer run around his body. It's body. He is Inspired, and they are no man. They are no woman. They are the dreams in the dark. The walkers of the Path of Inspiration. The rulers of Riedra, and all it's people's. 

Kash chuckles when they say their name

John walks up and lays his hand down on Kora’s shoulder. Kora? Are you good? Is everything alright?

I don’t have spells to help with this, I want to know what you think we should do.

Kora turns to John, ignoring the man for the moment. “Its power will be in the ones it controls,” she indicates the goblins. “If they attack, we should knock them out, if we can.”

Then she glances back at the man, as if he is an afterthought. “You are a lickspittle servant who will never grow in power, placed here by your masters to be out of the way and rot, overseeing goblins and inconsequential projects. If you were in your true form, we would step on you like the bug you are.” Shali flickers around Kora as she says this.

"I. Am. My. TRUE FORM!" The nightmare visage behind the man appears, and though it resembles Shali in form, it is far from what the Quori bonded with Kora and her kin looks like. "My masters, my masters are a race of beings who have put your traitorous heads on the block, and now your numbers are insignificant. If only you knew the power we hold, the Wars we have created, the destruction we have brought! A bug, you say, are these beings you travel with. Peons in the grand scheme of the Path of Inspiration. Long after they have died, you and I will have this conversation again, we will battle, again and again until you and every last traitor find their very spirit broken or destroyed!"

He walks back through the table, his back to the party. "Leave them be, they will fall soon enough." 

The blue goblins go back to their seats and back to their work as he exits into the opposite doorway. The only sounds you hear are the goblins breathing and the crushing of crystals in the large stone bowls. 

Sylrie looked to Kora, he was unsure if his thoughts were safe and it showed in his eyes. "What was he talking about? What is the Great Work, and what is the Dark?"

Sylrie can still feel the presence in his mind. 

As does Kash and Johnathan.

Percival stands with his hand on the hilt of his sword, awaiting Kora's orders.

Hm. Nice try. But you know.. John frowns and crouches. Can you do this to beasts, too? No matter. You should get out of my mind! That last bit is said with a side of disgust.

His body proceeds to change, his skin turning blue as he thins out and elongates into the Johnuli. The armor on John’s back and his magical club shrink into John’s skin, and the shield seemingly disappears in the same manner. He lets out a hiss at the man, and looks at the goblins. Then, back at Kora, and nods questioningly. 

Quote from BoboBoombang >>

Hm. Nice try. But you know.. John frowns and crouches. Can you do this to beasts, too? No matter. You should get out of my mind! That last bit is said with a side of disgust.

His body proceeds to change, his skin turning blue as he thins out and elongates into the Johnuli. The armor on John’s back and his magical club shrink into John’s skin, and the shield seemingly disappears in the same manner. He lets out a hiss at the man, and looks at the goblins. Then, back at Kora, and nods questioningly. 

(That is exactly the right thing.)

(Johnuli for the win!)

(OOC - I think the man disappeared)

(He was still in our heads though- hence why John was still talking to him)

(Remember when Kash used Buttons to talk to John when we first started this, and how Josh expressed immediate anger at it? Yeah, that still holds true.)

Kash annoyed about another voice in his head moves towards a goblin and smashes his head in to it

[Hornbutt: 11 Damage: 5 piercing]

"Get.....outta.......my.......head!"

or not